Outreach

COMPASS helps scientists improve how their work is represented in the media. In addition to our trainings and one-on-one coaching, we will occasionally take an active role in promoting key research findings. We only get involved at the invitation of the authors, and we always work in close coordination with the institutions that supported the work. When considering a project, our team looks for landmark findings with social relevance and clear policy connections. Importantly, we work with authors who are willing to commit to the immense effort it takes to bring widespread attention to their work.

Depending on the scope of the outreach project, our team may assist with:

  • message refinement
  • writing cover letters for journal submissions
  • interviewing authors and authoritative outside commenters
  • creating and coordinating press releases
  • generating FAQs and one-page handouts
  • preparing authors to handle difficult questions
  • producing videos, podcasts, and photo albums
  • pitching the story to journalists
  • hosting press briefings and conference calls for other stakeholders
  • connecting authors with our regional and policy teams to arrange policymaker briefings
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Our past work

Some of our outreach efforts over the past decade have included:

Schindler et al (2010) Population diversity and the portfolio effect in an exploited species. Nature - Drawing on fifty years of data, this paper provided the first solid evidence that population diversity within a species plays a critical role in maintaining stable fisheries. They found that if the Bristol Bay sockeye salmon lost their current population diversity, the entire fishery would close ten times more frequently – once every two to three years rather than once every 25 years.

Read the paper (subscription required)
Download the press release
Explore the outreach materials

 

Patz et al (2005) Impact of regional climate change on human health. Nature - This review paper examined the evidence that climate change poses increasing health risks and that the warming trend over recent decades has already contributed to increased morbidity and mortality in many regions of the world. They found that regions with the greatest burden of climate-sensitive diseases are also the regions with the lowest capacity to adapt to the new risks, posing a global ethical challenge.

Read the paper (subscription required)
See the coverage from the Washington Post
Visit Dr. Patz's website


Worm & Myers (2003) Rapid worldwide depletion of predatory fish communities. Science - Assembling data sets representing all major fisheries in the world, the authors discovered that 90% of all large fish like tuna, swordfish, cod, and halibut have disappeared since 1950. The study also found that industrial fisheries can reduce a new fishery to 10% of its previous levels in only 10 to 15 years.

Read the paper (subscription required)
Download the press release
Explore the supplemental materials created for the outreach
View the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences memorial tribute of Dr. Myers

 

Jackson et al. (2001) Historical Overfishing and the Recent Collapse of Coastal Ecosystems. Science - This cover story described the ecological extinctions of vast populations of marine mammals and fish from overfishing at a global scale never before realized. The authors believed that this revolutionary historical perspective is essential to management because historic data provide a framework for remediation and restoration.

Read the paper (subscription required)
Download the press release
Visit Dr. Jackson's website
See a recent TEDx talk featuring Dr. Jackson's thoughts on the current state of our ocean

 

Naylor et al. (2000) Effect of aquaculture on world fish supplies. Nature - For the first time, leading ecologists, economists, fisheries and aquaculture specialists evaluated whether farm-raised fish add to the global food supply as intended, or contribute to the depletion of fish populations worldwide. They found that in some cases, aquaculture does more harm than good. This work catalyzed significant change in aquaculture industry practices.

Read the paper (subscription required)
Download the press release
Visit Dr. Naylor's website